With Marc Pugh facing stiff competition for his starting place in the Premiership, he knows he's got to be at his very best to take on some strong opposition in the top flight.
Speaking in the Bournemouth Evening Echo, Pugh acknowledges that "For the past three or four seasons, we have been bringing in players. We are another step ahead now in the Premier League but I hope I have proved my worth to the club. We may bring more bodies in but I have to show the confidence and belief that I can do just as good a job as, if not better than, other people. Going back to when I was younger, I had to deal with a lot of setbacks. People were very quick to tell me I was not good enough but experiences like that make you grow as a person. I have had to constantly work at my game and believe I have improved. You just have to go out and show what you can do on the pitch and that is the one thing that never changes. My mentality is that we are all human and everyone is built the same way, you just have to do everything in your power to make sure you’re better than whoever comes in. It will not be easy because we have some very talented footballers and massive competition for places but I was delighted with my input last season. I played 40-odd games like I did in the previous four seasons and I don’t see why I can’t do that again".